Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the margins of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan on May 4.
The Georgian government administration press service said that a “meeting” between Kobakhidze and Zelenskyy, with Botchorishvili and Sybiha in attendance, was held “at the initiative of the Ukrainian side” and that discussions focused on “relations between the two countries.” The footage posted by the press service shows the four officials interacting while standing in what appears to be a pull-aside meeting.
Kobakhidze described the conversation with Zelenskyy as “friendly” and “interesting,” telling Georgian reporters, “Ukraine is a friendly country for us. We have a traditional historical friendship that connects our countries and our peoples, and we must preserve it as much as possible. This was, among other things, the spirit I shared with the president. I cannot speak about the details.” According to him, Zelenskyy himself initiated the meeting.
Zelenskyy later posted on the interaction, writing on social media, “There are indeed unresolved issues between our states. It is important to have dialogue at all levels,” adding, “Ukraine has always respected and continues to respect Georgia, its sovereignty, and its people. We will continue our cooperation going forward.”
Separately, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X about his pull-aside meeting with Maka Botchorishvili, noting that the two officials “exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional, and international developments.”
“We also discussed European integration and the EU’s important role in global affairs,” Sybiha said, adding, “We paid separate attention to expanding mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation. Agreed to stay in further contact.”
In a separate episode before these meetings were reported, the Georgian government administration had posted what appeared to be a screenshot of Kobakhidze shaking hands with Zelenskyy as leaders at the EPC summit posed for a group photo.
Relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv have been strained in recent years. What began as unease in Tbilisi over Kyiv’s appointment of Georgian opposition figures, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili, to positions in the Ukrainian government has since widened into a broader rift, deepened by the Georgian Dream government’s controversial stance toward Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine appointed an ambassador to Georgia in January 2026, nearly four years after recalling its diplomat over Tbilisi’s stance following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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